


Tim Drake Short #6: Our Choices

by Akoia



Series: Tim Drake Shorts [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-24 05:47:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14948709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akoia/pseuds/Akoia
Summary: This was the third time he'd seen her there.





	Tim Drake Short #6: Our Choices

" _Red Robin, report to the cave, we need to go over what you found."_ A voice over the com said. Oracle sounded tired but determined to finish their mission. But Red wasn't paying any attention to her. He was watching a short girl trying to climb over the railing of a building and look down. This was the third time he'd seen her there. But she always turned away at the last second. He clicked his com off and silently made his way over to her. 

She was crying, grabbing onto the rails with a death grip. Red took a deep breath and stepped out into the moonlight. "Hey there!" He said with a cheerful wave. She turned around and looked at him with wide eyes. She couldn't have been much older than fifteen years old. Red leaned against the railing and smiled at her. "What are you doing all the way up here? It's dangerous, you know." 

She looked away from him and closed his eyes. She was crying quietly. Her shoulders shook and she leaned her head against the railing. When she looked back at him, she was laughing while her tears ran down her tan cheeks. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm alright." She smiled at him, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "Go on, I'm sure you're really busy right now." 

"You know, my job is to protect people." He told her. "You're people, and you are obviously not fine." He looked over the side of Wayne Industries tallest tower. "I've been here every night this week...this is the third time you've climbed over the rails. Don't you think this city has seen enough tragedy?" He asked. She didn't say anything. "What's your name?" 

"Don't," she snapped at him. 

"Don't what?" He asked. 

"Don't... _don't_ pretend that you care about me." She growled at him, clenching her hands tighter around the rails. "No one cares about me." 

"Well, I'm sure that's not true," Red told her. "What about your parents? Siblings? Freinds? Your death is going to hurt someone, you know that right?" He wasn't really what the right thing to say was. He'd never been in that situation. 

"No, it  _won't,"_ she said. "I'm a burden, to  _everyone."_ She kneaded the palm of her hand against her eyes and sucked in a panicked breath. "I don't have a dad or any siblings and my mom is always unhappy because she has to take care of me! She said...she said she wouldn't be poor if it wasn't for me!" She yelled into the night. Red watched the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Everyday I'm alive, all I do is make people sad or angry." 

"What about school?" Red asked her. 

"I don't have any friends," she told him bitterly. "I had a girlfriend, but she left me for someone else in another grade. All the kids at school are always making fun of me, I don't fit in anywhere!" 

Red's mind was running a mile a minute and he saw the girl start to push herself away from the rails. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her forward. "Look, it sounds like you've got your mind made up, but if you're  _determined_ for this to be your last day on earth, you should let me show you a few things. Have you been to the Planet Arcade yet?" He asked. 

She looked at him strangely before she cracked a smile. "No way, the waiting list for that place is outrageous!"  

"Well, I have connections." Red grinned and held out his hand for her. He felt relief when she took it and he helped her climb over the side. 

* * *

 

"I can't believe you call your bike the 'Red Mobile." The girl said while the two of them were bent over a game where it was Batman vs Superman. Red was winning. When the game was finished the girl stood up straighter and looked at Red with a haunted look in her eyes. "Could you take me back to the tower now?" 

Red hummed and leaned back against the machine. "We have one more stop." 

She rolled her eyes but nodded. "Alright, one more stop." 

They hopped back onto the bike and Red maneuvered them through the streets. He stopped outside of a brightly lit building. The Emergency Room. The girl turned and glared at him angrily. She got off the bike and started to walk in the opposite direction. Red reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "Look, I'm a smart kid, but not smart enough to help you. These people are. I've been texting them all night, they're waiting for you." 

The girl looked at the doors, where a young nurse was standing outside smiling at them. "What if I don't want to go in?" 

"Then you don't have to." He shrugged. "But I think you do want to." He held out his hand to her. "Will you go inside with me?" 

She looked at him with wide eyes before she laced her fingers with his, and he proudly led her towards the automatic doors. He was  _really_ late home and he was sure that the others were worried sick, but it'd be fine.  


End file.
